1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid-pumping container comprising a flexible bag filled with a liquid substance and a box-type container having a certain rigidity for holding the flexible bag, wherein the liquid substance can be pumped out by a pump mechanism and the bag alone can be disposed of after the liquid substance is used up.
2. Background Art
Containers molded as unitary objects from polyethylene and polypropylene, or which are made of glass, are known for containing shampoo, drinking water, and the like.
Recently, however, so-called refill-type containers are in use. In these containers, a liquid substance is filled in a flexible bag which is replaceably placed in a box having a certain rigidity, and a pump mechanism is mounted on the bag to pump out the liquid substance.
Such a liquid-pumping container has been proposed previously by the same applicant (see FIG. 4 and FIG. 5).
The liquid-pumping container 21 illustrated in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 comprises a bag 22 filled with a liquid substance and having an outlet block at the top thereof, a pump mechanism 23 for pumping out the liquid substance having a cover block to be mounted on the outlet block, and a box 25 consisting of a pair of box components 24 for containing the bag 22 by fixing said outlet block. An upper wall 24a of the box 25 is provided with a cover wall 26 extending upward for covering the cover block of the pump mechanism 23 and a stop shelf portion 27 extending downward for fixing and supporting the outlet block (see FIG. 5). A front wall 24b of each of the box components 24 is provided with a lock member which is in contact with each other when the box components are closed. A lock member clamp is slidably fixed on one of the lock members so as to clamp the lock members 28 when the box components 24 are closed.
In the above-mentioned conventional liquid-pumping container 21, the stop shelf portion 27 for fixing and supporting the outlet block of the bag 22 extends downward from the upper wall 24a of the box components 24. Consequently, a dead space is created in the box 25 between the upper wall 24a of the box components and the top end of the bag 22 when the outlet block is fixed on the stop shelf portion 27. Moreover, when the bag has become empty and is to be replaced with a new one filled with the liquid substance, it is necessary to manually hold the flexible bag 22 filled with the liquid substance for mounting the pump mechanism 23. During the replacement, the fluid substance may spill out of the bag. It is not easy to mount the pump mechanism while holding the flexible bag. Furthermore, the lock member clamp 29 should be prepared separately, which increases not only the number of assembly steps but also the manufacturing cost.